Sometimes it begins with a player fiddling with his chips as he contemplates his next move; Other times it’s the pile of winnings being pushed toward a lucky player.

For many local charities that sound is money in the bank and a sign that their budget is going to expand. Inside the The Hunt Club Charity Poker Room above The Hunt Club in Hillsdale, Texas Hold ‘Em players are getting their gaming fix and local charities are benefitting.

“It’s awesome. It’s really good deal, we’ve been here for four years now and it’s really helped our equipment program,” said Reading firefighter Al Wheeler.

The Reading Fire Department is just one of more than 40 charities and organizations that have been helped by the poker room’s existence over the past four years. This past weekend, Wheeler and several other Reading firefighters worked inside the room as a way to earn money for the department.

Opened in 2009, owners Ron Bristow and Jeff Thomasson started the room as a way to allow for local poker players to have a closer place to play and lend a helping hand.

“This room was empty and we kind of pictured it and thought it would be kind of cool,” Bristow said. “We thought we could set it up and help local charities in the area.”

The idea soon took shape and after getting the proper licenses and approvals from the state, they were ready to shuffle up and deal. The room became a hit with players as the owners invested time and money into the facility by building a full-service bar, adding televisions and professional tables and seating for players.

However, because charity poker rooms had not been around for very long, charities were unsure of how legitimate the business was and were reluctant to sign up.

Poker rooms like The Hunt Club Charity Poker Room are allowed to function thanks to state regulations that demand a large part of the profits go to the benefitting charities. According to the regulations no more than 50 percent of profits made by the poker room can be paid out to employees or fees, essentially ensuring the charities or qualified organizations will receive the largest chunk of profits.

Aside from helping charities, the room also employs card dealers, a manager and a bartender who all support their income with earnings from the poker room.

“We’re not getting rich off this by any means,” Thomasson said. “That’s not what this is about. This is something that we’re doing separately from our careers. It helps out a lot of people.”

Page 2 of 2 - While business was booming, the ability to find license holders and charities became difficult. Thomasson said the pair actually went door-to-door and mailed letters to numerous organizations soliciting them to be a part of the room.

The charities or qualified organizations are allowed to benefit from four days' worth of licenses and can hold up to four licenses a year, meaning they can benefit on 16 days a year.

Players in the room say they enjoy how well run the room is and the atmosphere surrounding the tables, along with the competition.

“It’s a pretty friendly atmosphere. The regulars are all pretty decent people,” said Stan Dunton, a regular in the room.

Jed McNair serves as the manager of the room and says while players are competitive, everyone is respectful of the game and the rules.

“Most of our players, especially cash players come out to play cards,” McNair said. “They’re here for a reason, we have a couple sore losers, but we don’t have any problems."

The Hunt Club Charity Poker Room is open Thursday through Sunday with cash games available everyday. Only cash games are open on Thursday nights with tournaments on the other nights. Doors open at 6 p.m. everyday except Sunday, with doors opening at 1 p.m.

Now that the room is firmly established, Bristow and Thomasson are excited to continue helping local charities, while giving poker players a place to play without driving to a casino.

“It’s a win-win for everybody,” Thomasson said.

And for organizations like the Reading Fire Department, they hope to be in business together for a long time.

“I hope the guys will definitely keep it up for years,” Wheeler said.

For more information email AcesHighLLC@yahoo.com or find them on Facebook at Aces High LLC.